Simple lemon tart nut bar

The other day while I was picking up a few things for dinner, I was stuck behind a few people in the cashier line. I was looking at the end cap goodies like always and saw a Larabar in a flavor I had never seen, Lemon. I am a lover of anything lemon. I decided to give it a try and wasn't let down. I looked at the ingredients and was surprised at how little there were. Dates, cashews, almonds, and lemon juice concentrate. "Uh..... I  could for sure make those" I thought to myself.

The next time I was in the store I gathered all of the ingredients and headed home to test kitchen this shiz. I wasn't sure what  the measurements were so I made it up as I went.  The bar I made ended up with a different texture than the Larabars, it was a little more sticky. I totally didn't mind though and thought they were more tart and lemony than the OG bar! I am happy with the end result and wanted to share this super easy recipe with you all. They are superrrrr dense so you could cut them up even more. I also thought they would be good shaped into little energy bite balls and rolled in some chia seeds or extra small white chocolate chips, yum! Have fun adding different ingredients as you see fit.

                              

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups of medjool dates
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 7 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• Dash of salt (optional) 
• Spray oil  ( I used coconut spray oil)
• Parchment paper
• 7x7 inch square pan

Instructions:

1. Transfer all ingredients into a food processor, and blend until well combined
2. Line the pan with your parchment paper and transfer the "batter" into the pan
3. Spray your hands or a large spatula with the cooking spray and pat into the pan equally
4. Refrigerate overnight (If you're impatient like me a few hours should be fine)
5. Take out of pan and use a pizza cutter or a large spatula to cut into 8 bars
6. Keep fresh in the fridge using parchment paper in-between each bar to prevent sticking and in an air tight container
7. For an on the go bar, wrap in parchment paper and tie shut
8. Enjoy!

xoxo

Julie

Homemade granola two ways

Hello my fellow people of the world! I have missed talking to you guys lately and hope everyone is having an amazing beginning of February. I have been wanting to share this recipe for a few weeks now and finally I sat down to share it with you all (the procrastination is real this month). Brandon has been on a granola kick lately he eats it for breakfast, snacks, and sometimes as a little end of the day treat! I was in target AKA the mothership a few weeks back and was looking through the different types of granolas. They have a million different kinds and while they all look pretty tasty, once reading the ingredients I realized I have no damn idea what some of the ingredients are let alone how the hell to say them. It kind of bothered me, don't get me wrong I am not full crunchy, I do eat my occasional Hot Cheetos which have god knows what in them except delicious unhealthy magic. I decided that granola can't be that hard to make at home right?!

RIGHT! Dude, this stuff is super easy to make. The best part about them is that they are sure recipes 

What is a sure recipe you might ask?

A sure recipe is my favorite type of recipes to make, the kinds that you have all of your ingredients out and you ask yourself in your head 

"Should I add that?" in which you reply "sure"

"Do you think this is the right amount to add?" ..."sure"

"Do you think the recipe will be okay with a little extra of this?" ... "sure"

They are my favorite type of recipes to make! The type of non hassle just throw it together and then it tastes good kind. I usually don't measure stuff out very well when I cook but decided to come up with TWO different easy granola recipes for you all! 

The first one is a super simple peanut butter granola, and the second one is an easy fruit and nut granola. 

We like to eat granola with some almond milk and a fresh banana, on top of our favorite homemade smoothie or just sit and snack on it all by itself!

So lets get to making!

Recipe 1: Super simple peanut butter granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter ( I used smooth but it's your choice)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs. shelled hemp seeds
• 2 Tbs. shelled flax seed
• 1/2 Tbs. cinnamon

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees
2. Put the honey, vanilla, and coconut oil into a microwave safe dish and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. ( Be careful guys, it can get hot)
3. Once melted, add the coconut oil mixture into a small bowl with the peanut butter and stir until smooth.
4. Once smooth add the peanut butter mixture with the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are completely coated 
5. Spread onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
6. Bake for 25 minutes, about 10 minutes in use a spatula to turn over and mix around granola
7. Continue baking, peek in every once in a while to make sure it is not getting too dark
8. Let cool completely then use fingers or spatula to break into the size granola you would like
9. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks

                    

Easy enough right?! The next one is super yummy as well, I may or may not eat handfuls of the dried apricots before the granola is even ready. I'm not even sorrrrryyyyyyy

Back to baking! 

Recipe 2: Easy fruit and nut granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of Trader Joes Super seed and ancient grain blend ( This is a blend of sprouted buckwheat, sprouted millet, chia seed, golden flax seed, red quinoa, shelled hemp seed, and Amaranth ) If this mixture is not available to you feel free to add 1/2 cup of what ever blend of seeds/ grains you like.
• 2/3 cup of mixed dried fruit and nuts
• 1/2 cup of chopped dried apricots 
• 1/4 cup of raw almonds
• dash of cinnimon

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix oats, salt, Super seed blend, and cinnamon into a large bowl
3. Put the honey, vanilla, and coconut oil into a microwave safe dish and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. ( See above pictures)
4. Once melted, add the coconut oil mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are completely coated 
5. Spread onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
7. After about 10 minutes of baking use a spatula to stir around the granola, continue to bake
8. Once done, allow to completely cool
9. Mix in your dried fruit and nuts and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks

Enjoy!

xoxo
Julie

Food Fridays: Frozen Chocolate Bananas

Hey guys! So I have been wanting to try and start a schedule of certain days during the week to regularly post on. I love food... I also love Fridays so BAM I present to you.. Food Fridays.

This recipe is not only super easy, its super duper fast.  #Getinmybelly

Ingredients:

•  1 TBSP Chocolate spread ( I used Trader Joes Cocoa almond spread but you could use Nutella or any type of yummy chocolate)
• 1 TBSP Organic coconut oil
• 1 to 2 ripe bananas
• Wax paper

Dude thats all you need....easy easy easy.

Step 1:

Cut up your bananas into bite size slices and set aside. 

Step 2:

Get a small bowl and put the chocolate and coconut oil in. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds, I usually check half way through to make sure its not too hot. (Burnt chocolate = nasty)

Step 3: 

Stir the delicious chocolate mixture until it's runny and smooth. Grab a banana slice and dunk it all up in that goodness.  I usually pick it up with a fork and let some of the chocolate drip off.

Step 4:

Put your wax paper on a small cookie sheet and place the slices on to it. This isn't a perfect Martha Stewart recipe so you chocolate will drip and may not look that neat but who will really complain because... chocolate.

Step 5:

Place the cookie sheet into the freezer and let sit until frozen, I left them in there for a few hours. Once they are done transfer them to a Tupperware and place back into the fridge. Since there is coconut oil they will be melt in your mouth/hands so its best to keep them in the freezer and pick out a few that you want to eat.

You, my friend, are now a frozen chocolate banana chef. Congrats.

October reads

So this past month I have read a bunch of books. Okay, okay.. I actually didn't read all of these books I listened to most of them. I have been subscribed to audible for about a half a year now and I love it! Since I have changed jobs and now have a way longer commute I can't imagine not having a new book to listen to on the ride to and from. I have to say that EVERY single book that I chose this month I enjoyed. Some of them I enjoyed a lot more than others but I enjoyed them all none the less.
In no particular order I give you my October reads:

I have heard the title of this book throughout the years but it wasn't until I was watching Oprah's Super soul sunday where Paulo Coelho was a guest that I knew I had to read it. 

Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.
The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Guys if you haven't read this book, please do so. It is an older book but don't let that deter you from reading this book. This book is often referred to as a self help book for a reason. It has a beautiful underlying message about life. 

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Print length: 192 pages

My Rating: 5/5

I came across this book by total accident. I was looking around on audible deciding what I should choose for my next book when I came this title. I thought that it sounded interesting and although it is a short book, it still resonated with me. Maybe its my forever internal wanderlust... oh how I love to travel.

At 25 years old Stephanie Yoder was already fed up with the monotony of 9-5 life. After much agonizing, she quit her stable desk job to backpack around Asia. During a year of travel through Japan, China and South East Asia she became a minor Chinese celebrity, was attacked by giant parrots and met the love of her life. In A Year Without Make-Up, Yoder chronicles some of her craziest adventures along with providing helpful tips and encouragement for others looking to make a life change.

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: A Year Without Make-Up: Tales of a 20-Something Traveler by Stephanie Yoder 

Print length: 63 pages

My Rating: 3.3/5

I came across Brain On Fire by total accident while in the Denver airport. We had a two hour layover before coming home, after eating a quick lunch I headed into the airport store. It was filled with cold drinks, delicious treats and an entire wall of the newest magazines books. I basically read through every title since I was in no rush. After coming across this book I knew this was it. I have always been a big lover of non fiction books and this one sounded especially interesting.  I of course had to look on amazon to see if there was a major price difference via the kindle version. It was $10 cheaper! I left the book there and instantly bought it for my kindle app and began the descent into this amazing book.

When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened? 

In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen. “A fascinating look at the disease that…could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life” (People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.

Man I LOVED this book. It was seriously so interesting and took me so deeply inside the story I felt like I was actually her. I had to stop to take a breather a few times because of its intensity. I would definitely recommend this book! 

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: Brain On Fire: My month of madness by Susannah Cahalan

Print length: 290 Pages

My Rating: 5/5

I saw the trailer for If I Stay a crap ton of times while watching different television shows. I always thought it looked interesting and when I finally got around to wanting to see it... it was out of theaters. Just my luck, I had an extra Audible credit from returning a book that I couldn't get into so I decided to listen to If I Stay on my way to work. After I finished reading that book I was browsing again on Audible and realized that Where She Went was the next book in that series. *Mind Blown* I didn't even know there were more than one. 

If I Stay:

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family.

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Print length: 213 pages

My Rating: 3.5 /5

Where She Went ( Sequel):

Picking up several years after the dramatic conclusion of If I Stay, Where She Went continues the story of Adam and Mia, from Adam's point of view. Ever since Mia's decision to stay - but not with him - Adam's career has been on a wonderful trajectory. His album, borne from the anguish and pain of their breakup, has made him a bona fide star. And Mia herself has become a top-rate cellist, playing in some of the finest venues in the world. When their respective paths put them both in New York City at the same time, the result is a single night in which the two reunite - with wholly satisfying results. 

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Print length: 306 pages

My Rating: 3.5 /5

I have to say that I really did enjoy these books. You can tell they are meant for YA readers, but they bring you on an interesting journey none the less. Each book is narrated by different characters which I found to be nice. It lets you inside more than one characters head, and shows you what they are thinking while they make their choices.

I have read John Green's amazing novel, The Fault in our Stars. Since I really enjoyed that book I decided to pick up another title from him. 

Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same. 

I have to say there were parts of this book that I really enjoyed more than others. Overall it was a good read but I have to say I enjoyed his other book more. It did keep me pulled in trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book for a teenager or any YA readers in your life. 

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Print length: 254 pages

My Rating: 3.3 /5

My Final read of October was #GirlBoss. I saw that this book had been on the top of the most suggested reading list. I read what it was about and wasn't sure that it was going to hold my attention but decided after hearing a sample of it that I was wrong. 

The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn’t fashion—it was a stolen book. She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, Sophia had resigned herself to working a mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was there that she decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal. #GIRLBOSS includes Sophia’s story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia.

This book is hilarious, Sophia is super down to earth and tells it like it is. I was cracking up on my way to work while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. It made my commute a lot easier and I have to say I loved this book. Any girl with a sense of humor would enjoy this book, I left it feeling inspired.

Overall Book Details:

Title/Author: #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso

Print length: 241 pages

My Rating: 4.5 /5

Let me know if you pick up any of these books and enjoy them like I have! I love hearing which books people loved out of my favorites. If anyone has a book suggestion for November please leave me a comment so I can check it out. 

Super easy apple pumpkin muffins

Fall...... ✓

Light rain......✓

Sweatshirt........✓

Hot tea..........✓

Delicious baked treat...... On its way

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of sugar ( depending on how sweet your want them)
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 cups of green apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Crumble topping:

• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 5 Tbsp cold butter cubed
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix all the the dry ingredients together. In another bowl mix all of the wet ingredients and slowly add in the dry mixture. Once everything is blended together, slowly add in the chopped apples.

Next, for your cinnamon crumble topping get a bowl and mix all ingredients together using a fork. It will be a little hard to do at first and sometimes is easier to do by hand. You know it is finished once all the ingredients are mixed and you have a moist crumble.

Put your cupcake liners in their trays and fill 3/4 full put enough crumble onto each muffin to cover.

Set a timer for 20- 27 minutes (depending on your oven) or until a knife comes out completely clean.

Let cool, or if you are like me and cannot wait, let cool enough so you don't burn your tongue.

Make these.... just do it. They are so delicious and taste even better the day after. mmmmmmm 

If you want to be fancy, try adding in other ingredients as well. Some ideas would be white chocolate chips, cranberries, raisins, walnuts. Have fun!

 Delicious baked treat...... ✓